But the other non-negotiable for me each Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and — let’s be real — any night of the year that I’m craving some creamy, garlicky, cheesy comfort food?

Scalloped potatoes.

Specifically, these scalloped potatoes. In my humble opinion, they are simply the best. And in the years since I originally posted this recipe here on the blog, thousands of you have also tried them and agreed! So today, I thought I’d bump this recipe back to the top of the stack for those of you who might be new to the blog and looking for a tried and true recipe to make this weekend. As someone who has made these dozens and dozens of times, I can vouch — they won’t let you down.

Scalloped Potatoes Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Scalloped Potatoes Ingredients:

The ingredients to make this classic scalloped potatoes recipe are pretty simple. You’ll need:

Yukon gold potatoes: I prefer these to Russets because of their nice creamy texture and buttery flavor.

Shredded cheese: It’s important to have a good melty cheese for these. I have always preferred a nice sharp cheddar (not one that has been aged, since those don’t melt as well). But I have also made these with mozzarella, gouda, fontina and gruyere, and all have been delicious. So feel free to pick your favorite, or use a mix! Plus, some freshly-grated Parmesan is also a must.

Sliced onion: For extra flavor. I always cook the onion in the sauce, and then strain it out and add it to the middle layer of the potatoes, so that there aren’t a bunch of onion slices sitting on the top layer.

Garlic: If you ask me, the more the merrier. The recipe calls for 4 cloves, but I’ve used up to 8 before. :)

Fresh thyme: I’ve always used this as my main seasoning for scalloped potatoes, but you could use just about any of your favorite fresh herbs or dried seasoning blends. I also love occasionally adding some blackening seasoning to my sauce.

Creamy sauce: In lieu of heavy cream, my sauce for this recipe calls for a roux with butter and flour, milk and chicken (or veggie) stock.

How To Make Scalloped Potatoes:

To make your scalloped potatoes, begin by chopping up your onions and garlic, and making your sauce on the stovetop. Since we’re using milk instead of cream, it’s important not to let the sauce boil. Just let it get warm enough that it barely comes to a simmer so that it can thicken. (Otherwise the sauce will “break” and become watery when baked.) Then remove it from the heat until it’s ready to be used.

Meanwhile, as your sauce cooks, slice up all of those potatoes. The thinner they are, the quicker they will cook. So I usually slice mine about 1/4-inch thick.

Once your sauce and potatoes are ready to go, it’s time to layer everything up! I usually go in the following order:

Half of the potatoes

Half of the sauce (including the onions that I strain out and add with a slotted spoon)

Half of the shredded cheese

Parmesan

Half of the potatoes

Half of the sauce

Half of the shredded cheese

Once everything is ready to go, cover the pan lightly with aluminum foil. Then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is nice and bubbly around the edges. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or so, until the cheese is nice and golden on top and the potatoes are cooked through. (If the cheese starts to get too brown on top, just lightly cover the top with a sheet of foil again until the potatoes are ready to go.)

Then remove, sprinkle with some extra thyme and black pepper, and serve!

I mean, just look at that cheesy, creamy, golden crust. ♡♡♡

Who wants some??

How To Make-Ahead Scalloped Potatoes:

Over the years, I’ve had lots of you ask if you can prep this scalloped potatoes recipe in advance, and the answer is yes! Just bake the scalloped potatoes and let them cool completely to room temperature. Then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Then bake covered (with foil) at 350° for 30 minutes, or until warmed through.

FAQ:

Can I make this recipe gluten-free? Sure thing! Just use all certified-GF ingredients. And instead of flour, you can either use gluten-free all-purpose flour. Or, you can nix the flour and whisk 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into the cold milk before adding it to the sauce.

Can you add other seasonings? Absolutely! Again, I just seasoned this classic recipe with garlic and thyme. But feel free to stir your favorite seasoning mixes into the sauce or sprinkle on your favorite herbs.

Can you substitute other kinds of potatoes? Sure thing. I’ve made this before with Russets and red potatoes, and also enjoy occasionally using a mix of Yukon golds and sweet potatoes. But for the classic recipe, Yukon golds are my favorites.

More Potato Recipes:

If you love this recipe, be sure to check out some of my other potato faves including:

Instructions

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined, and cook for 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, and whisk until combined. Add in the milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce just barely begins to simmer around the edges of the pan (avoid letting it come to a boil) and thickens. Then remove from heat and set aside.

Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce. (I usually strain out all of the onions and add them here too.) Then sprinkle evenly with 1 cupof the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. The sauce should be nice and bubbly around the edges. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack, and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of thyme and extra Parmesan. Serve warm.

Notes

*I recommend not buying pre-grated cheese for this recipe, since it will not melt as well. Instead, it’s best if you purchase a block of cheese and shred it yourself just before baking. Over the years, I have also experimented with a variety of different cheeses here. While I prefer the flavor of sharp cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, fontina and gruyere work great too! (Or feel free to use a mix!)

597 comments on “Scalloped Potatoes”

I ADORE potatoes of the scalloped variety, but I haven’t eaten them in SO long due to the general unhealthiness….so I am PUMPED about this lighter version. I wasn’t even planning Easter dinner (I’m moving on Easter) But I might need a potato break now! Pinned :D

This is gonna sound nuts, but do you think I can use a bit of the chicken stock and add the onion/garlic mixture to a blender and THEN add the flour to make the roux? I am feeding people who don’t like onions, but if I hide them they don’t mind them…just don’t want them to be visible (I do this all the time with my tomato sauces). Thanks.

I’m not sure I’ve had scalloped potatoes before – if I did it was only once. That’s pretty amazing for a person of my age. I am not cooking a special Easter dinner (We’re spending a good part of our day guiding a pictograph tour at our local state park where we volunteer), but I am definitely keeping this recipe for the day when I decide I can live no longer without scalloped potatoes. I’m sure they’ll make my husband happy, too. :-) Happy Easter!

I have to say when you posted this blog two days ago, I could not get if off my mind. When I was invited to a small dinner gathering, I knew exactly what dish I wanted to bring. HUGE HIT!!!! Everyone kept raving about the potatoes and wanted to know what all was in them. Unfortunately, no leftovers. The hubs has made it a house rule that I now make them once a month (not sure if its good for my waist line). The simplicity of the garlic, onion, and thyme were just the right amount! Will post with pictures the next time I make it. Thanks again!

Ali, made them again for dinner tonight. However, tweeked the recipe and added bacon. It was my husbands birthday so, he got them for his special dinner. Photo is on Instagram with your hashtag. Thanks again!!!

I LOVE this recipe. Have probably made it three or four times now. My boyfriend is super picky and he loves it too. Tastes much better with fresh thyme than dried, I tried both. Great job, this one is a keeper for sure!!

Thanks, Sarah! It might be the same, but it could be a little less. I would just set a timer for 30 minutes, and bake like it says. Then I would remove the foil, and set the timer for like 15 minutes, and then check it, just to make sure it doesn’t over-bake. I hope that helps, let me know how it turns out for you!

Man, I never even imagined chicken stock/broth being in this. So amazing – I snuck out a spoonful of the sauce after it was done. It makes me think of my next favorite thing – chicken pot pie. Chicken pot pie meets scalloped potatoes. Somewhere, angels are singing.

Hey Shelley! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!

I tried to make this for the first time, and my sauce ended up too little to cover up the first half of the potatoes. So I had to make more. At what texture of the sauce should I turn off the heat?
Otherwise, the recipe was a success! My suitemates enjoyed the dish very much! Thank you!

Hi Alice! The sauce just needs to be brought to a simmer in order to thicken (which should happen pretty quickly), and then it will also thicken up a bit more while baking. Glad that you all enjoyed the dish!

I have never made scalloped potatoes other than from the box. These were so easy to make, I feel I would have had to work hard to mess them up. So delicious but not overwhelmingly heavy. I made them with fingerling potatoes because a friend gave me a whole bag and they were not only tasty but adorable as well!!!

Made these last night to go with my proscuitto wrapped pork loin. Delicious. My 80 year old mom, who eats like a bird had 3rds!! I had to bake them an additional 20 minutes because they were still pretty wet. Can’t wait to tackle the leftovers this evening! Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll make again.

We made this potato recipe last evening and it was a huge hit at the dinner table. The ingredients are familiar and the recipe was easy to follow so I would highly recommend to everyone, the taste was just as good as heavy cream version which is what I would normally use in the dish.

My husband LOVES scalloped taters !!! We’ve been together for 2 years and I have yet to make them as I’m so afraid after I eat them, I will never be able to wear jeans again !!! I stumbled upon this recipe today… I am printing this off at lightning speed and im going to bake a ham to accompany them. This is going to be Christmas supper for the 2 of us. Thank you :)

Delicious!! I made them on the spur-of-the-moment to go with grilled Kielbassa. The only change I made was to sub 1/2 cup of heavy cream, as I didn’t have quite enough 2% milk, and I used a bit of seasoned salt. Definitely pinning this one!

Do you think it would work if I made these a day ahead and then heated them up the day of serving? I’m thinking about doing this instead of our traditional mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. Thanks for the great recipe!

Somehow I was left with an entire freezer gallon bag of thin pototo slices, with a three pound bag of yukons, but it was delicious and the family loved it. First time doing scalloped potatoes and I think I’ll continue this recipe. I did use Gouda and Grurere (sp?) cause we were feeling fancy. Thanks very much for an easy and delicious recipe.

I have these in the oven and boy do they smell wonderful! I didn’t have any parmesan so I used asiago instead which I think will give the dish another great layer of flavour. I also used 1 cup of 1% milk and 1 cup of cream (it had to be used up). Prep time is longer than 15 minutes but once everything is done the dish assembles fast. Cannot wait until they are ready. Thanks for the recipe.

Excellent dish. I used russet potatoes this time for some reason and heavy cream instead of milk. I also doubled up on the garlic, and threw in a teaspoon of rosemary to make the dish a little more “in your face”. It turned out great.